Welcome back to the GearGames weekly video game release feature here at Gear Diary! Last week was a fairly slow week … but this week is nearly empty once again, which isn’t surprising as we have now hit the doldrums of summer! At this point most people are contemplating vacations rather than spending time in front of a console. But for those looking for something new, there are a couple of choices. The biggest multiplatform release is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
 for pretty much every platform. The RPG The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 5th Anniversary Editiongets yet another release as it pursues the ‘Quest for More Money!’… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The latest preview video for F1 2011, the latest installment in the F1 international racing game series, gives players a sneak peek full of amazing graphics and fast paced action.

The back-to-school computer deals keep coming as Dell is now offering a free Xbox 360 to student who purchase one of ten computers beginning at $699 until July 14, 2011.

A few weeks ago I looked back at Duke Nukem 3D in anticipation of the arrival of Duke Nukem Forever, which I subsequently reviewed as well. However, Duke Nukem 3D wasn’t the only shooter released in the first half of 1996 – on June 22nd 1996 a whole new era in first person shooter gaming was born with the release of Quake! In celebration of that milestone I take a look back at this legendary FPS game from id software. The Hype Rage through 32 single player levels and 6 deathmatch levels of sheer terror and fully immersive sound and lighting. Arm yourself against the cannibalistic Ogre, fiendish Vore and indestructible… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Facebook apps have a notorious reputation as time wasting casual experiences that manage to make loads of real world money for their developers, so they are naturally attractive to publishers looking for … well, more money. But for gamers more accustomed to console and PC gaming, Farmville and the like offer little attraction. But recently there have been some games that have offered enough traditional gaming elements to attract those gamers while still being accessible to casual gamers and playable in small chunks. One such game was Dragon Age: Legends, which I still play long after uninstalling the mediocre Dragon Age 2. Continue reading on Gear Diary …

DNA testing of the new Land Rover LR4 would reveal that there is still a good bit of Big Blue Oval pulsing through its veins. The brand’s latest mid-size SUV may receive corporate mail from an Indian postmark but development of the LR4 in current form began back when Dearborn, Michigan was a frequent destination for Land Rover hierarchy. The new LR4, as with its predecessor LR3, is a US-market designation. The platform is known globally (and previously here) as the Discovery Series, or Disco for short. And thanks to Ford, DISCO IS NOT DEAD! (Sorry, I have been waiting years to work that into an article.) Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We are in the full swing of summer, and in addition to great weekly sales, all of the sites are having massive ongoing sales. Steam, Direct2Drive and Good Old Games are each featuring massive deals every day – there is no way I can keep up with those, so I suggest you check out the sites! In capturing just the best of the ongoing sales, I have pretty much totally abandoned my rule of no more than 50 deals from all sites … there is just way too much great stuff out there at insane prices!! However, I am sticking with the >50% savings rule, and you will see that I have… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(image courtesy Minimalist Journey) It’s not clear what B&N plans to do with Fictionwise, but it’s become pretty obvious their days are numbered. In the meantime, there’s a sweet weekend coupon flying around for Fictionwise…just enter code 070811 and you’ll get 45% off! Nate at The Digital Reader received notification of this sale and it sounds like it’s just the weekend, so act fast. Also, since B&N won’t be supporting the old eReader DRM, I strongly suggest choosing DRM-free or multi-format titles…just to be on the safe side. And none of these titles will be from the big 6 publishers, though Fictionwise is still very strong in genre titles… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We’ve been bringing you a host of great deals from Dell, SCOTTEVEST and more since we soft launched New Gear Daily. Well, we are expanding the deals we can share with you and are happy to jump into the Back-to-School season with some great deals on Lenovo laptops. Each week we’ll bring you some great deals from Lenovo and for starters we have huge savings on not one, not two but five different Lenovo lines. All save you are least 35% and some will save you well over 50%! Now THAT’S a New Gear Daily Deal if we’ve ever seen one! Continue reading on Gear Diary …

For most of my life I have lived watching the space shuttle program from afar.  As a youth, I thought I would have the opportunity to fly on the shuttle.  Of course that didn’t happen but I still will miss the shuttle in many ways.  Take a walk through my childhood memories of the Space Transportation System. STS-1, the very first shuttle mission was a huge memory for me.  When it launched on April 12, 1981, I remember getting out of bed early so we could see the launch together.  The memory of seeing this launch on TV with my family is still with me.  Watching this flight on TV was my early inspiration for getting into a… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Leave it to Speck come up with a simple shell for the iPad 2 that brings along a significant, and useful, twist. The new HandyShell case takes a minimalist approach to protecting the sides, top, bottom and back of the iPad while giving you complete access to the screen. But it does something more. Let’s take a look. From Speck: Endlessly useful and amazingly simple, the HandyShell case for iPad® 2 features a multi-function handle that gives you a firm hold wherever you go. Designed around a strong hinge to hold it firmly in place, HandyShell’s handle can be Continue reading on Gear Diary …

OK … one thing I have to say – while the Wynton Marsalis Grammy appearance is amazing and something we couldn’t imagine happening today, having Marsalis up there in a tuxedo playing Baroque music and mainstream jazz is like the Academy Awards giving the trophy to Ghandi – while not the personal viewing choice of many, it will make the academy feel good about themselves without being too challenged. But the year before the Grammy producers arranged to get one of the true living legends in American music – Miles Davis – to perform on the show while also presenting him the Lifetime Achievement Award. It seemed perfect – Miles was integral to… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Dual stylus pen gameplay, easy-to-use touch controls and 3D visuals factor into the enjoyable, sport-filled Dual Pen Sports, available exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS.

I had planned to include Sony’s attempt at a streaming music service with my recent look at Rdio and MOG as ‘Spotify Alternatives’, but frankly it is so ill-conceived and poorly executed that I didn’t want to obscure those excellent services with this dreck. The Hype The music you want, when you want it. Qriocity™ offers access to millions of songs on a variety of Sony devices. Upload your personal library for access anytime, anywhere or discover new favorites with automatic recommendations based on your unique listening habits. The Reality Don’t believe the hype. Qriocity consists of a web-based front-end, a Windows-only uploader service, and clients for Sony TV and home theater… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I already love Green Man Gaming as a site due to their unique ‘trade-in’ and credit system that allows you to de-license your game for credit towards new games. I grabbed the Deus Ex: Human Revolution pre-order deal there last week … and aside from some sweet sales going on (which will be part of my normal weekend deal post), they have teamed up with the UK newspaper The Sun for an amazing deal – three games for FREE! The best part – these are not crap games! Arma II is a solid 2009 tactical shooter that sells for $20 through Amazon; Men of War is a excellent real-time… Continue reading on Gear Diary …